Thai government to go ahead with upper northern development projects

BANKGOK, December 28 (TNA) - Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra agreed on Thursday to drive ahead development projects of Thailand’s upper northern region to enhance local economic and tourism potential, connecting the region with other countries in the Mekong River basin. Yingluck announced the policy at a meeting with governors of eight provinces in the Upper Thai North and interior ministry senior officials in Chiang Mai province, aimed to further develop transport and logistics systems in the region to cater its growing economy, covering trade and tourism, through the so-called Northern Landport Strategy, in order to promote the Upper Thai North, especially Chiang Mai, as a gateway to the Greater Mekong Sub-region (GMS). The Thai premier assigned the eight northern provinces to separately submit their proposed and coherent development plans in details, under the Northern Landport Strategy, to the government by January 15, 2013 to boost the Upper Thai North's competitiveness for the AEC, set to be formed by 2015. The prime minister also suggested governors of all Thai provinces to prevent or solve the haze problem, as well as to implement reforestation projects in upstream, mid-stream and downstream areas in all 25 25 basins across the country over the next five years, under the supervision of the Ministries of Interior and Natural Resources and Environment. (TNA)